Coven Fairy

"This is a tough morning." Kali groaned, sitting up in her nest, not even reacting as one of the babies kicked from within her, while King was curled up on top of her belly. "C'mon King, get up. I have to get ready for school."

"Five more minutes mom." King mumbled.

"Oh no, calling me mom isn't gonna work this time buster." Kali stated, picking him up off her belly, and putting him down in her nest. "Today's a special day at school."

Though, Kali was only half lying with what she told King. Every time he called her mom, Kali's heart fluttered with joy, making her feel all warm and fuzzy inside, but she didn't have time to deal with his needs, as it was an important day at Hexside, and one she called in her favor with the Bat Queen for.

Quickly getting showered and dressed, Kali made herself more presentable to those outside her room, and were unaware of her bundles of secrets she hid within her, all while King groggily dragged himself out of the nest, and burrowed his way into her backpack.

"What are you doing?" Kali asked.

"I'm coming with you today." King said. "I don't wanna leave you alone, with the babies ready to come any day now."

"King, the babies won't be coming for quite a while." Kali said, readjusting her magical belly compressor to where it was comfortable. "If you really wanna come, you know where you gotta go."

"Fine, but make it quick." King groaned, reaching one of his arms up and out to her, while still holding Francois in the other.

"You're gonna be in for a treat today King." Kali smiled, picking him up as she opened her mouth wide.

A short while later, Kali came out of her room, dressed in her school uniform, with her bag over her shoulder, after she'd put all her books back in it, and knocked on Luz's door.

"Oh little echo mouse." She heard Luz said, stopping her from knocking on the door. "You ate the diary that can get me home. Can't you cough up a tiny bit?"

"She should just squeeze it out." King's muffled voice came from Kali's midriff.

Kali just rolled her eyes, before she knocked on the door, and opened it.

"Maybe, I just need to be patient?" Luz questioned, as Kali saw her looking at the echo mouse, before the human pressed her face to the glass of the mouse's home. "Please tell me your secrets."

"You do know there's an easier way, if you'd actually read the copy of Wittebanes journal I have." Kali said, letting Luz know she was there.

"Ooh, I know. I'll turn into an echo mouse, and then he'll have to tell me." Luz said, before she shrank, leaving a pile of clothes on the ground.

Kali stepped up to the pile of clothes, before something in them began to move, and Luz popped her echo mouse head out, showing her skin tone had remained the same, resulting in the visible fur being the same color, while the skull was the same color as her hair. Kali snickered, as Echo Luz came out fully, revealing the dark purple jumpsuit she was dressed in.

"Yeah, unless you wanna end up in the same expectancy range as me Luz, I would suggest a different plan, like reading the journal." Kali smiled.

"What do you mean expectancy range?" Luz asked, her voice sounding small and cute.

"I mean, if you go in there as an echo mouse, you're gonna come out just as pregnant, if not more then me, since Echo Mice tend to have at least ten babies, per pregnancy." Kali said.

"Ah, bad idea then." Luz said, returning to human, while showing the jumpsuit shifted with her. "So what do you suggest?"

"Well first off knuckle head, I suggest getting dressed or we're gonna be late for school." Kali said.

"I can't go now, I'm so close to figuring out how to get the Echo Mouse to talk to me." Luz stated, pressing her face against the glass of the cage again. "Please, please, please tell me your secrets."

"Oh well, guess you won't be getting a magic staff with the rest of our class." Kali said, stepping to the side at the open door, before Luz zipped past her, and was instantly down the stairs and at the front door.

"C'mon Kali. We gotta fly." Luz said, as Kali came down, seeing she was already showered and dressed in her school uniform.

"There's the Luz I know." Kali chuckled, as she walked past Luz, who was anxiously awaiting for Kali to leave.

~Hexside~

"Hey Willow, shouldn't Amity be here?" Luz asked, looking around her classmates to see the Blight girl wasn't there.

"Oh sorry Luz, I heard she stayed home today." Willow said.

"Oh, that actually makes sense." Luz said, before Bump came out to the Grudgby field, with Kali standing next to him, and Araña on her shoulder.

"Good tidings to you all, on this momentous day." Bump said. "You're all about to receive your witches staffs, and more importantly, meet your Palismen."

"This is a crucial step in the magical development of any witch or demon." Kali said. "Palismen are life long partners, who remain loyal to you, so long as you treat them right." She smiled, reaching to her shoulder and scratching Araña on the head.

"They can become both your good friends, and a powerful tool. In my case…" Bump snapped his fingers, and the Palisman on his head began to leave, letting his long black hair flow, while revealing the scar he had over his right eye, and his missing left eye.

"Holy Titan." Luz gasped.

"Frewin here, helps me see." Bump stated, lightly scratching his Palisman on the cheek, making him purr.

"Traditionally, young witches like us, would carve, or commission their staffs to be carved from the branch of an old Palistrom tree by a Palisman Artisan." Kali explained. "Just like what I did with Araña."

"But sadly, Palistrom trees are becoming more rare." Bump added. "An' those that remain, are guarded Covetously."

"That's why, I've teamed up with Principal Bump, to bring you all Palisman Adoption Day." Kali said, as the Bat Queen flew in, and landed on the perch of the Palisman nest.

The moment the Bat Queen landed on the perch, the door opened, revealing dozens of little Palismen looking to find a home among the students surrounding their pen.

"They're so cute." Luz said, as she and the other students gathered around the pen.

"Here's your whistle back." Kali said, holding up the whistle to Bat Queen. "Thanks for the favor."

"Keep the whistle, save it for another time." Bat Queen said. "It was my pleasure to do this. What a wonderful idea this was."

"I can't take all the credit. Grandma was the only who suggested it." Kali said, before noticing a Palisman trying to escape. "Ah, ah. You're staying put right there until you find someone mister." She stated, putting the red bird Palisman back in the pen, and sealing up the hole. "You know, you kinda look strangely familiar for some reason."

"Aw. Little Rascal." Luz said.

"These little ones, have not had homes in many years." Bat Queen explained to the students. "They want to feel a connection. Kneel and state your deepest wish, and your like minded partner will come to you, responding to your desire."

"That's how it normally works when you carve a Palisman." Kali said. "But for me, I had to state my deepest wish, and give my Palismen a name, because of all the Ethernano the Palistrom wood had absorbed in Earthland, not only changing its color, but also changing the requirements for bringing them to life."

"Ugh, I want my own Palisman. Not some trashy hand-me-down." Boscha stated with a groan.

Kali just looked unamused, before she drew a circle in the air, and from behind the three eyed girl, an Abomination hand grabbed her, and dragged her away from the rest of the group.

"Hey, let me go. What the hell did I do this time?" Boscha questioned, as she was dragged deep into the forest.

"Kali." Bat Queen said.

"What? If she's not even gonna appreciate a Palisman who wants a home, she doesn't deserve one." Kali huffed.

"That's not up to you to decide." Bat Queen stated.

"Fine." Kali groaned, before drawing another circle of magic in the air, and bringing the Abomination hand back, stopping it at the edge of the Grudgby field, and throwing Boscha back to the group, showing she was covered in twigs, dirt, and Abomination goop.

"The hell was that for?" Boscha questioned, before Kali got in her face.

"Mistreat the Palismen who picks you, and you'll be answering to me." Kali stated with a growl as she got in Boscha's face.

"Right, yes Ma'am." Boscha said, sounding frightened.

"Alright who's up first?" Bat Queen asked.

"Me." Willow said, kneeling in front of the pen and clutching her hands together, as if praying. "I want to be strong and wise, and to protect everyone I love. An' if anyone gets in my way, they'll feel the sting of defeat."

"Tender yet tenacious. Clover gives her support." Bat Queen said, as a bee the size of a bowling ball flew out of the nest, and up to Willow, before taking on her staff form.

"Oh my gosh, I'm gonna take such good care of you." Willow smiled.

"An' as a small token to encourage friendly relations between Palismen and Owner, I've brought something for the Palismen to enjoy at your homes." Kali said, bringing out a box of palm sized nests, just like the one she had made for Sapphire, but uses herself now.

"Aren't they a little small though?" Luz asked.

"They're pocket sized right now. But press the button on the side, and they'll grow to accommodate you Palismans size, with ease." Kali smiled, pressing the button on the side of a blue nest, allowing it to grow big enough for Araña. "I made sure to make plenty in a variety of colors for you all to choose from." She said, as Araña got cozy in the nest.

"Sweet." Willow smiled, picking one with a forest green colored fabric.

"Outta my way." Boscha said, pushing Willow aside. "I wanna play professional Grudgby!"

"Good luck, no team's gonna touch you with the permanent record you've got." Kali said.

"A competitive spirit. Maya will be thrilled." Bat Queen said, as a crab crawled up to Boscha took on her staff form.

"Okay, this is pretty cool." Boscha said, with a bit of a blush.

"I want to open my own veterinary clinic, for mythical pets." Viney said, before a Manticore Palisman flew up and bonded with her. "All right."

"Dad wants me to become a, master illusionist. But that's easy." Gus said. "So instead, I'll become an ambassador to the Human Realm, and reestablish contact with the giraffes!"

A chameleon Palisman hopped up, and ran along Gus's arms, before bonding with him, taking on his staff form.

One by one, each of the students managed to get their own Palisman, and at long last it was Luz's turn to speak her deepest desire.

"I want to be, a witch!" Luz stated.

There was a moment of silence, but none of the Palismen even moved, or went near Luz.

"Uh… probably just takes a little longer, 'cause I'm human right?" Luz asked, sounding a bit worried.

"Luz, Palismen bond through emotion." Kali said. "Being a witch is your dream sure, but it's not your deepest desire. There's something else you want badly, more then being a witch, because there was no conviction in what you said."

"That's impossible, I'm Luz, I'm chock-full of conviction." The human said.

"Perhaps specificity would help." Bump suggested. "There are many kinds of witches. What do you hope to accomplish with your magic?"

"Oh uh… get home to my mom?" Luz said.

"Would you still train to be a witch, in the Human Realm?" Gus asked.

"Can you even do magic there?" Boscha asked.

"That's enough from the peanut gallery." Kali stated, leering at Boscha.

"Huh, I… guess I never thought that far ahead." Luz stated.

"You okay Luz?" Kali asked.

~That Night~

"I stayed here, because I wanted to learn magic, right?" Luz stated, pacing around her room. "I wanna be a witch, like Eda and Azura. But what does that even mean, and I've read stories like this. The main character always has to return home, and what, did I expect to be a witch back in Connecticut?"

"Sounds like you're having trouble making up your mind." Kali said, showing she was there, wearing only a belly compressor and vest to keep her descent.

"Hey Kali." Luz said.

"Hey Luz, just came by to nab this little guy." Kali said, reaching into Luz's bag, and pulling out the red bird Palisman who tried escaping earlier.

"Did you come here, for me?" Luz asked hopefully, looking at the Palisman.

"I'm afraid not." Kali said. "Little Flapjack here just used you as a get away. I noticed he was missing earlier when I did a headcount of the Palismen who didn't find someone."

"Flapjack?" Luz asked.

"That's his name, or at least that's what Araña's told me." Kali said.

"Oh, well guess him using me to run away makes sense." Luz huffed. "I wouldn't wanna be my Palisman either."

Kali looked to Luz, a sympathetic look on her face, before an idea came to her.

"Wanna come with me to drop him back off at the nest?" Kali asked. "I'm sure you'll be able to say what you really desire if you think hard about it."

"Really?" Luz asked.

~Grudgby Field~

"How are we supposed to get through this?" Luz asked, seeing the barrier around the nest.

"Araña, would you do the honors?" Kali asked, looking to the Palisman on her shoulder.

Araña bowed in acknowledgment to her creator, before she jumped from Kali's shoulder, and landed on the barrier, dispersing it.

"Whoa, Palisman magic is awesome." Luz smiled, as she followed Kali into the nest.

Kali and Luz nuzzled into the nest, as the Palismen circled around Kali, with the teen putting Flapjack down with the others.

"Awe, you're all such cuties." Kali smiled as they came in closer to her.

"Mmm." Luz hummed, before closing the door behind her. "All right. I'm not leaving here, until I figure out what my future is, and one of you becomes my Palisman."

"Luz, a Palisman bond doesn't work like that." Kali said. "You have to express emotion, a feeling deep down that a Palisman can connect with."

"How exactly am I supposed to do that?" Luz asked.

"That's something you gotta figure out for yourself." Kali sighed, moving to get up. "Now come on we gotta get going or, hey what are you doing?" She questioned as Luz pushed her down.

"I'm just having a little fun." Luz smirked, pulling Kali's vest off.

Luz and Kali continued to wrestle, until Luz managed to remove Kali's main top.

"Hey, Luz give that back." Kali complained, wrapping her arms around her chest, as Luz exposed her naked upper body, with the teens pregnant belly weighing her down. "I can't get up with this belly in such a cramped space."

"Good." Luz smiled, stuffing the belly compressor behind her. "Because we're gonna be sitting here and figuring out what my deepest desire is."

"Grrr, you are such a pain at times, you know that?" Kali questioned, grabbing her vest, and putting it back on.

The Palismen in the nest began circling Kali once more, with a few curious ones coming to her belly and poking it, receiving kicks from Kali's unborn in the process.

"Hey, don't rouse them." Kali whined, moving herself into an upright sitting position, with her legs acting as a nest for her belly. "Come on Luz. We have to get back home."

"Your belly's gotten so big Kali." Luz said, rubbing over it. "The twins must be packed tight in there."

"Yeah, no duh. That's what happens when a woman's pregnant with multiples, there's less space for the babies." Kali groaned, as he belly began to shake and wobble with active and visible movement. "Then there's the occasional territorial disputes between siblings."

"Oh, King would love to see them roughhousing like this in your belly." Luz said, putting her hand over Kali's popped belly button.

"He actually got first hand experience with what it was like today." Kali said. "Surprised her remained so quite while classes were going on."

"He was at school with us today, where?" Luz asked.

"Where else Luz?" Kali asked. "He was in my second stomach, you know the one I gained from my curse, and Sapphire loved to nap in?"

"Oh, right." Luz said.

Luz and Kali sat and talked amongst the Palismen for what must have been hours, as Luz kept going through different scenarios about what her future might hold for her. Eventually, exhaustion won out, and Kali fell asleep with Palismen cuddling next to her, and on her belly, not even bothered by the activity of the babies within.

"What if… I open a magic pet shop, but it's password protected." Luz said sleepily, as fatigue began taking over her as well, as she turned over to look at Flapjack. "The password is, you're a little angel."

Luz just looked at Flapjack as he chirped, before she and Kali were shaken fully awake, by the nest being jostled around.

"The hell's going on?" Kali questioned.

Luz tossed Kali her belly compressor, allowing for the teen to put it back on, covering herself properly, before they opened the door to the nest. Once the door was opened, Luz and Kali gasped, when they saw that the nest was high up in the air. Looking up, they saw the nest was being taken away, by one of the Emperors airships.

"I think we're being kidnapped." Luz said.

"Luz, is there anyone you think could have a use for this many Palismen?" Kali asked, a serious look on her face.

"Well there is one, but you're not gonna like what Belos does with them." Luz stated.

Kali looked at Luz, before her eyes widened in realization.

"Of course, how could I have not seen it sooner?" Kali asked.

"Seen what?" Luz questioned.

"There's a forbidden spell I read about in one of Grandma's old spell tomes, it involves Palismen, and it grants the caster of that spell, eternal life. But at the cost of both their mind, and body." Kali stated. "What exactly does Belos do with the Palismen?"

"He… he breaks them open, and this green energy emerges from the husk, before it's sucked through the eye holes in his mask." Luz stated.

"Then it is that spell." Kali hissed. "He devours the souls of Palismen, to keep himself alive. Don't you see Luz, Belos is…"

"Okay, we can speculate about who Belos really is later." Luz stated. "Right now, we need to stop whoever's kidnapping us and the Palismen."

"Go, I'll be up in a minute. I need to calm the Palismen down first." Kali said.

Luz nodded, following Kali's instructions, before she shifted into a python, and slithered out of the nest, and up the mechanical arm that gripped it. Slithering upwards, Luz spotted the one who was responsible for kidnapping the Palismen, and hissed in annoyance.

'The Golden Guard.' Luz thought.

Luz glared at the Golden Guard, as he kept flying the ship, unaware that she was there, before the snake shifted human, looked to her side, to see Kali pull herself up to be next to her friend, just as she swallowed something.

"Hunter." Kali said.

"What should we do?" Luz asked.

"You still remember what the fire Glyph looks like?" Kali asked, looking to Luz and holding up a piece of paper.

Hunter continued to fly the ship, whistling a tune that sounded strangely familiar to Kali.

"Hi-yah." Luz shouted, back in human form, before slamming her hand on Hunters back, surprising him.

"What the?" He questioned, before Kali kicked him in the chest, and sent him falling off the ship.

"Happy trails." Kali shouted, as the fire Glyph activated, and sent him spiraling around like a spinning firework as he vanished into the clouds. "Send a postcard from wherever you land."

"Okay, now how do you land this thing?" Luz questioned, looking around the controls.

"With this." Kali said, pulling on the lever over their heads, and by the steering wheel.

"Smart, I'm surprised you figured it out."

"She is a genius… oh boy." Luz said, before both her and Kali looked to see Hunter lying on the dashboard of the controls again.

"Hi. Nice hair Kali, the color suit you." Hunter said, before using his staff to tie both of them up in ropes.

"Hey." Luz shouted as they were thrown to the back.

"Good to see you both as well." Hunter said, dusting himself off.

"Why are you stealing Palismen, Hunter?"

"Frankly…" Hunter stated, before he appeared in front of them in a flash. "You both should be more concerned about yourselves. For the crime of kicking, and rocketing me off my own ship, you'll both be locked, in the dingiest cell of the Conformatorium, for the rest of your sad little lives."

"An' you'll be right there along with us, when you bring Belos an empty Palismen nest." Kali stated, with a smirk.

"What?" Hunter asked.

"Yep, the nest is empty, see for yourself." Kali stated. "I'd wager our freedom that I'm right about it being empty."

Hunter turned and ran to the side of the ship before looking over, and seeing the door wide open, with no Palismen in sight or sound.

"What did you do to the Palismen?" Hunter questioned, getting in Kali's face.

"Oh you really thought, the Bat Queen and I would have left a nest, full of Palismen out in the open, for just someone from the Emperors Coven to take?" Kali questioned. "When classes ended, I used my portal blade from inside the nest, to send them all back to the Bat Queens domain, where you won't be able to touch them."

"So, you laid a trap, and I fell for it." Hunter groaned, heading back for the controls of the airship.

"You actually sent them back to the Bat Queen's domain?" Luz asked in a hushed voice.

"No." Kali said, her voice equally as hushed. "I don't have my portal blade on me. I left it at home."

"Then where are the Palismen?" Luz asked.

Before Kali could answer that, her cheeks swelled up like she was gonna hurl as she suppressed gagging noises, with something traveling up her throat, before her mouth opened wide, revealing the little escape artist Flapjack was the cause of her current distress.

"You didn't." Luz gasped as Flapjack jumped to her shoulder and hid in the hood of her cloak.

"The Palismen are all safe within my second stomach. I am an Etherion Mother dragon Luz, I just did what my namesake required me to do to protect the defenseless." Kali explained.

"So it was Flapjack you swallowed when you met back up with me?" Luz asked.

"Little rascal didn't wanna go down easily, but I had no choice. At least the hammer space of my belly compressor is holding up, even if my second stomach and womb pressing together is making it unbearably uncomfortable, with how packed with Palismen it is. An' since they're magic, they're negating my Gum-Gum powers, making the stretching a bit painful." Kali said. "But more importantly, look at the ground. Your shoes left scuff marks."

Luz looked to the ground, and saw Kali was right, before smiling as she got an idea.

"Say, how did you get back on the ship so fast?" Luz questioned Hunter, as she began drawing a Glyph on the ground with her shoe.

"Staff." Hunter said, directing her attention to the staff he set down.

"Cool." Kali said, before Luz slammed her foot down on the ice Glyph, and used it to send the Golden Guards staff falling off the ship.

"No!" Hunter cried out, reaching out for it, only for the staff to vanish from sight. When the staff was gone, he turned back and looked at them. They couldn't tell from the mask, but it was safe for them to assume, his face was one that showed he was pissed. "Oh, if you think you've both won, it'll take more then that to thwart my mission. I've already charted a course, for the Bat Queens domain."

"There's a giant Hand Dragon behind you." Kali said.

"Nice try, I'm not falling for…" Hunter stopped, as the ship rocked, and began to shift.

Using her draconic strength, Kali broke free of the ropes, and tore through Luz's bindings, before grabbing her, and jumping over the side of the ship.

"Kali, what are you doing?" Luz questioned as they fell, before the last thing she saw were a pair of large leathery bat wings eclipsing her vision, up until she blacked out from an overdose of adrenaline rushing through her body.

~Afterwards~

"Luz, Luz wake up." Kali's voice echoed in the human girls ears, as she began regaining consciousness.

"Ugh, what? Kali?" Luz asked, as she woke up.

"Good, you're okay." Kali said.

"What happened? Last thing I remember was you jumping off the ship with me, dragon wings, and then nothing." Luz stated.

"We landed near Latissa, one of the isles more dangerous cities." Kali said. "There's an outpost for the Emperor's Coven there so it's likely Hunter's gonna…"

Kali stopped talking and pushed Luz down, ducking away from view as the sound of something stomping around, echoed through the air. Looking around the forest, Kali and Luz spotted something troubling, and found a bunch of Coven Scouts, lead by Kikimora, holding the Golden Guards Helmet, while standing next to the empty and opened pen for the Palismen.

"Keep searching, the Palismen couldn't have gotten far." Kikimora said.

"Follow me." Kali whispered to Luz, stealthily moving through the foliage.

Kali and Luz moved through the foliage, before Luz stopped as she spotted something.

"Look, it's Hunters staff." Luz stated.

Kali looked to where Luz was looking, and saw Hunters staff piercing the ground, like some sort of lost magical relic from days long forgotten.

"We must have landed near where you sent it." Kali said, Luz taking the staff.

Before Luz or Kali could do anything, Flapjack began chirping, and pulled on Kali's hair, leading her in a certain direction.

"Hold on, I'm following you Flapjack, what's…" Kali stopped talking, when she stopped as Flapjack perched himself on her shoulder, and saw who was in front of them.

Lying there on a bed of flowers, was a young man with ash blonde hair, a long sting of bang going over his face, and a scar going down his right cheek. He still wore the Golden Guards cloak, and the uniform underneath.

"Whoa." Luz said. "This is the first time I've seen his face."

"Not mine." Kali stated. "He revealed his face to me, once back at the Conformatorium, after he branded me with the Sigil of the Emperor's Coven."

Kali leaned in closer to him, making Luz think she was gonna kiss the boy, before she pulled her arm back, and punched him in the face. Despite how that would normally go, it woke Hunter up, rather then knocking him out into a deeper sleep.

"Hey, what the hell was that for?" Hunter questioned, before Kali covered his mouth.

"Lick my hand, and I will throw you into the boiling sea, just like you did to Gajeel." Kali said. "Kikimora is hunting you, and something tells me, it's her desperate attempt at trying to gain power, and become Belos's right hand."

Hunter looked at Kali, before he took a deep breath, which meant to her he was ready to listen and talk.

"You're nuts. There's no way Kikimora would ever do that." Hunter said.

"Oh really? We just saw her, holding your helmet." Luz said. "Follow us, and we'll show…"

"Get down." Kali said, pushing both Hunter and Luz down, before they peeked over the shrubbery, and saw Kikimora with her underlings.

"Keep searching, those Palismen have to be here." Kikimora stated.

"Shikiflora, is it true that the Golden Guard is…"

"It's Kikimora, and yes." She said, holding up Hunters helmet. "I'm afraid the Golden Guard has perished in this tragic accident."

"Oh no, the Emperor…"

"Will be so heart broken, I know. I've already sent word to the Emperor." Kikimora said. "But now is not the time to mourn, for we must take action and fulfill his final mission."

"Yes Kikitiki." The Coven Scouts said, saluting her before they left.

"It's Kikimora." She growled, loudly.

With the Coven Scouts gone, Kikimora pulled a whistle out from under her shirt, and blew into it, calling the hand dragon towards her location, as it surrounded her gleefully.

"That's a good girl." Kikimora said, petting the dragons snout. "Excellent work my pet. Now, find the rest of him, and have yourself a nice little snack."

Kali, Hunter, and Luz gasped, when they saw the dragon munching on Hunters helmet, after catching his scent.

"C'mon." Kali said, leading Luz and Hunter away from that location.

Marching through the forest, the trio made their way into town, with Hunter taking lead.

"Whoa man, Kikimora must hate you." Luz said.

"I think she's jealous of Hunters position as Belos's right hand." Kali stated. "But this is a dangerous town we're heading to, so we shouldn't linger too long."

"Whoa, I haven't been outside of Bonesborough that much. Latissa is so cool." Luz said.

"It may look cool, but it's not all that safe." Kali said, before reaching her arm out, and grabbing Hunter's shirt from behind. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going, to Latissa's office branch of the Emperor's Coven." Hunter stated, smacking her hand away.

"Do you really think they're gonna believe you're the Golden Guard, without your helmet, cape, and staff? None of which you have right now?" Kali asked.

"Then give me back my staff." Hunter stated, shaking Kali off.

"I don't think so." Kali stated. "You're stuck with us, until we can get proof Kikimora was the one behind that attack that knocked your airship to the ground in that crash landing."

"How do you suppose we do that?" Hunter asked.

"Never underestimate Kali. She's always got a plan up her sleeve." Luz smiled.

"An' right now, my plan is to find something to eat. I'm craving something sweet and salty, rather fierce." Kali said, rubbing her flat stomach.

"What, are you pregnant or something?" Hunter questioned, rather mockingly. Kali's silence, persisted as they made their way to Latissa, making Hunters eyes widen in realization. "Holy crap, you are pregnant."

"Would you keep quiet about it?" Kali questioned, in his face and covering his mouth again, before walking away as she took the lead. "Yes okay, I'm pregnant. It's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal? It's a huge deal, you could have miscarried if I had made one wrong move, or when Kikimora knocked my ship out of the air." Hunter said. "We need to get you to a Healing Coven branch asap."

"I'm too far along for anything to cause that kind of miscarriage to happen." Kali stated, as they made their way through the streets of Latissa.

"But your stomach is flat." Hunter said.

"She's using a specialized item she got from Earthland, to harmlessly compress and conceal her belly." Luz said.

"So… who's the father?" Hunter asked.

"I don't really see how that's any of your business." Kali said, before Hunter ran up and stopped in front of her.

"Please, I'm the Golden Guard. It's my duty to protect the people of the Isles from Wild Magic." Hunter said. "I just wanna help."

Kali looked at Hunter, before looking to the little bird on her shoulder as he chirped, and sighed as Araña gave her two scents as well.

"The Elder Palistrom Tree, in the Bat Queens forest." Kali sighed.

"What?" Hunter asked.

"The babies inside me, weren't mine. Not originally." Kali said. "My Palisman, Sapphire, was the one who was pregnant. To best your uncle, I had to fuse with Sapphire, using our trump card, that required her sacrifice."

"Why would you do something like that when she was pregnant?" Hunter asked.

"Hunter, calm down." Luz said. "Kali and I both thought Sapphire was telling us the truth, when she said she'd already given birth, and left her babies in the care of the Bat Queen. So Kali had no clue that Sapphire's babies, were still with her at the time."

"The magic that fused Sapphire with me, also transferred her pregnancy to me." Kali said. "It took a while to register, as the magic had to heal my uterus, before the pregnancy could actually develop. An' to transfer it to me, two of my eggs were used as catalysts to make this pregnancy my own, making me the twins new mother, mind, body, and soul, in every sense of the word."

"I see." Hunter said. "I'm sorry, for your loss."

"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not telling you this to get any sympathy or anything out of you." Kali said, leading them into an alleyway. "I'm only telling you, so you'll leave me alone and stop pestering me about it."

"Why are we in an alleyway?" Hunter asked.

"Because of this." Kali said, stretching her arm up, with Araña holding tight to her, and throwing herself up like a slingshot, landing on the rooftop above the alleyway.

"Whoa." Hunter said.

"Just wait 'till you see what Luz can do." Kali said, looking down from the rooftop.

Hunter looked at Kali, before looking to Luz, gasping as he jumped back, as the human turned into a bald eagle, and flew to the rooftop with Hunters staff in her talons, before shifting back to human.

"Well, what are you waiting for Hunter?" Kali asked, as she and Luz looked down at him. "Magic your way up here." Hunter just looked at them, before he looked down and away from them, obviously embarrassed about something. "Hold on, can you not do magic without your staff?"

Hunter just remained silent, before he walked away towards the alley's exit.

"I'll get him." Luz said.

"No, hold on. Back up Luz." Kali said, leading Luz back.

It was a moment later, that Hunter managed to bring himself up to the roof, landing on his feet like an acrobat.

"Whoa, impressive parkour skills." Luz said, as she and Kali clapped.

"Thanks." Hunter said. "So what are we doing up here?"

"We're looking there." Kali said, directing their attention to the building across the street.

"That's the Latissa Branch of the Emperor's Coven." Hunter said. "Why are we spying on it?"

"Because of that." Kali said, pointing to one side of it, showing Kikimora and her hand dragon were there. "I didn't get a good look at it back in the forest, but that's definitely the beast that destroyed your air ship."

"So it was Kikimora who sabotaged my mission." Hunter said. "What's the plan?"

"The plan, is to get you back to the Emperor's Coven." Kali said. "If Belos see's that Kikimora's report is wrong, then she'll be punished, severely."

"So why don't we use your portal blade?" Luz asked.

"We can't." Kali stated. "For one, I don't actually have it."

"What? Then where are all the Palismen?" Hunter asked.

"Well you see…"

"They're back at the Bat Queens domain still." Kali said. "I have smaller, leaf portals, that are a one time use. I kept this hidden from Luz, because I thought you'd be listening in, and didn't want you overhearing what I actually did. So I made up a story, to buy time for the Bat Queen to actually build up her defenses."

"Then… what was with Flapjack coming up and out of your storage stomach?" Luz asked.

"Wait, who did what now?" Hunter inquired.

"My body has the same biology as a female dragon, storage stomach and everything." Kali stated. "Luz, he refused to go through the portal before it closed, so I quickly shoved him down and made my way up to the main deck of the airship."

"Okay, makes more sense." Luz stated.

"Anyways. I have one more leaf portal available. But that's my last one, and it take months for just one to be made properly." Kali said, pulling the maple leaf shaped crystal from her cleavage, making Hunter blush, before he saw the color of it. "It's gonna be a tight fit for you Hunter, but it should be big enough if I enhance it with my magic."

"Wait hold on, what is that made of?" Hunter asked.

"Liquid Magic. I have a jar of it back at the Fairy Tail Guildhall." Kali said, keeping the jars true location a secret. "It's finite, so I have to use it sparingly. I don't know what it's actually called however. I actually do, but I'm not gonna tell him that it's Titans Blood.' She thought.

"Fine. Then open up a portal, and let me get home, after passing through it." Hunter said.

"Before that. Have you given any thought to what I told you, before you left me with the head of the Healing Coven?" Kali asked.

Hunter just looked at her, before he sighed, and sat down.

"There's a reason why I can't go with you, and abandon my uncle." Hunter said. "He's the only family I have left, and he says I don't need magic to be great. He believes I can do great things, with who I am right now. I honestly believe he's doing the right thing."

"Don't you think that maybe your blinding yourself to the truth, because he's family?" Kali suggested. "It's not uncommon for that to happen."

Hunter thought on that for a second, but shook his head not wanting to believe a single word Kali said about his uncle. He truly believed his uncle was in the right, and that was good enough for him.

"Let's just get this over with." Hunter said.

"Okay." Kali stated.

"Hold on Kali, what about your daily limit?" Luz asked.

"It's a risk that's gotta be taken, if we don't want Belos to come knocking at our door." Kali said, before Flapjack swiped the crystalline leaf from her. "Hey, Flapjack bring that back here."

The little bird Palisman didn't bring it back, and flew into the air, flying around their heads. This continued for a moment, before he decided to come back, and put the leaf portal back in her hand.

"Thanks for bringing it back Flapjack. Why'd you take it in the first place?" Luz asked.

"He used his own magic to charge it." Kali said, holding up the leaf. "Alright, to the gates just outside the Emperors Coven."

Snapping the crystalline leaf in two, the portal tool dissolved, before turning into a swirling mass of energy, just large enough for Hunter to walk through.

"Alright, now's your chance. Get going Hunter." Luz said, throwing Hunters staff through the portal.

"Hey, don't just throw my magic staff through the portal." Hunter said, jumping in after it, right before the portal closed.

"Okay." Kali sighed. "Now that Hunter is taken care of. There's a couple more things we need to do, before we can go home for the night." She stated, looking towards the Emperors Coven Branch Building, with a seething glare directed towards Kikimora.

~Belos's Throne Room~

"So, you return with nothing." Belos said. "Is this the thanks I get, for taking you in?"

"Of course not." Hunter stated. "I wanna help. An' if you told me, how Wild Magic did this to you, I might be able to find a way to…" Hunter stopped talking, as a bladed tendril of sludge zipped past him, and shaved off a few locks of hair from his sideburns. "My apologies, I spoke out of turn. It won't happen again." He said, as Belos's arm reverted back to normal from the sludge that it had been.

"These, outbursts are painful, and so is watching you fail." Belos said, clutching his chest in pain. "I know you can do better Hunter."

With the debriefing finished, Hunter left the throne room, making his way through the halls, and to his quarters. His journey was stopped, when he came across Kikimora being pushed along in a wheelchair by an Abomaton, with both her legs, her whole body really, wrapped in a cast covered in Healing Coven Glyphs.

"Golden Guard? You're alive?" Kikimora gasped. "I mean, I heard about the crash in Latissa."

"Luckily, some travelers picked me up out of the wreckage, and helped me to the nearest Coven Outpost. So I'm actually doing great." Hunter said with a smirk. "You on the other hand, look like you've seen better days. Did you get in an accident yourself?"

"I was, actually mauled by a mother dragon, whose nest I crushed by accident during one of my inspections the other day." Kikimora said. "I'll be in this full body cast for a week at best."

"Well, I do hope you recover swiftly." Hunter said, turning to leave, returning to his quarters.

The instant he was back in his room, Hunter sighed as he flopped back on his bed, wanting to make up for his lack of sleep the previous night, right then and there. But he couldn't help but feel, like he'd somehow let his uncle down. He was broken from his thoughts, when he heard the sound of a familiar chirping, and sat up to see Flapjack on the windowsill.

"Palisman." Hunter said, taking the bird into his hands.

Hunter squeezed down a bit harder on the Palisman, causing it to let out a chirp of pain.

"Oh, sorry." Hunter said, letting go of it, and allowing the Palisman to land on his lap, before petting its head gently. "You shouldn't be here. It'd be bad if Belos saw you."

Flapjack didn't seem to care, as he flew into the air, and took his staff form, landing in Hunters hands.

"Oh, I was not expecting that." Hunter said, before he got up and looked out his window. "Am I, even doing the right thing?"

~Workshop~

Kali sighed, as she sat at her work bench. She'd just finished with her breakfast, and was ready to get to work. Sitting in front of her, was her sketch pad. She always sketched out the desired end results of any project she was passionate about before she began carving them out, and these projects were no exception, as these were projects, she was most passionate about.

"I'm not sure how well this is gonna turn out, but I know it's gotta work. It has to." Kali said, gently rubbing over the concealed Coven Sigil on her forearm. "I haven't been able to speak with the Titan since the Tower of Heaven, but I do know that he doesn't want the Day of Unity to take place, nor is he keen on Wild Magic being suppressed and snuffed out." She stated. "Philip Wittebane, I promise I will put an end to your evil ways."

~A/N~

I know, I'm spelling Kikimora's name wrong. But I can't help it, I just love how Tomotasauce does it on his YT channel, and I just had to do the same.